Cloudcluster
by Siderion
Summary: After a cycles-long absence, the jardaans returns to the Milky Way to escape from the Scourge. One of them, Vaan, decides to follow their curiosity on a whim. They find themselves in the middle of a galactic crisis they count exploit to their fullest to explore this place, have fun and find a system or cluster for their people to settle on.
1. I - Riding the Light

**I  
**

* * *

 **Riding the Light  
**

* * *

Whatever Vaan hit, they hit it hard. Their body shook, each nerve alit with liquid pain, even when they were basking in Evfray's soft touches, the anchorship's consciousness already sharing, absorbing part of the suffering. They could feel their body still twitching uncontrollably.

Positive point: they could breath now, even if they couldn't take deep inspirations, their hearts beating too fast to breath normally. Vaan probably should consider themselves lucky to still be alive after taking the gambit of tracking the curious signal back to its origin on a pure impulse, leaving not only Evfray, but also the rest of the Herd behind. They didn't doubt there would be hell to pay for Vaan once their fellow soulstars and the other anchorships would get their hands on them.

 _You seem badly damaged.  
_ _  
_The jardaan blinked a few times, searching for the mind that had stirred them out of their thoughts. There was a translucent blue humanoid, blurry features and mechanical voice that could only belong to an AI. It looked like a child, except for the lack of soulmarks on the face or hands.

 _I'm sure it's not as bad as it looks_ , Vaan shot back, sweeping a warm liquid from under their nose. Blood. _I'm still alive_ , they added as they absentmindedly wiped their bloody fingers on the ground. _Who are you?_

 _I am the Catalyst._ There was emotion neither in their voice nor their eyes.

Vaan only found themselves more curious about it, tapping their left index against their inferior lip while searching in Evfray's database for a life form similar to that one. They found nothing. Not that it was surprising considering that jardaan hadn't set sails to the Soulstars' Spiral after leaving it, ages ago. Long enough for whole civilizations that have been born, grown and died a thousand times, at the very least.

 _You are organic as well as synthetic._ The Catalyst's voice broke the silence, snapped Vaan back to reality. They could clearly sense the carnberry taste of curiosity, acidic but somehow soft, coming from the other being. _We have never encountered your species before._

Vaan massaged their throat, realizing with relief that their angdaar was still there and somehow undamaged. Thanks fuck for small mercies. They briefly wondered whether to reveal their species or not, before reminding themselves that this wasn't be their decision to begin with. Not when the rest of the Herd were safely hidden for now. The Catalyst didn't seem hostile but it wasn't an ally either. It was also being a bit too cryptic for their taste.

 _Neither did I encounter yours. What are you?_

 _I am the Catalyst. When the time comes, I am to be the one to bring order to chaos_. There was nothing to be said to that so Vaan just nodded. Better let it do the talking and pick up the interesting bits. _We are curious about the mean you have used to arrive here._

 _I take it you don't have many visitors_ , Vaan replied. _Where is here?_ Better deflect the question with another.

 _The Citadel._

Looking around, Vaan could see through the distinct lack of ceiling. They were five petal-like arms in their vision's periphery, reaching into this deep space they could contemplate from here. Vaan realized they were currently in a flagship. Then it meant they hadn't made a mistake when noticing the signal.

 _The Citadel is your anchorship._

 _The Citadel is a part of me. It is a space station, the jewel of galactic civilization,_ it replied.

It didn't sound like the Catalyst quite understood what the jardaan had meant, otherwise it would have answered 'yes'. After all being an AI didn't stop it from being a soulstar, especially if it said that the space station was a part of it. Vaan wondered if there were such things as proper anchorships and soulstars in this galaxy. It wasn't impossible, actually, seeing that their ancestors had left the Soulstars' Spiral aboard anchorships to begin with, aeons ago.

There was a long silence before it repeated, _We have never encountered your species before. You are not from this galaxy._

 _I am_ , Vaan replied, feeling like there wasn't anything to gain from hiding the truth, but also unwilling to reveal that their people had left for Storm's Eye a long time ago, only thinking of coming back when their parents had seen that the civil war that had teared the jardaan apart would lead to the release of the Scourge.

They had immediately reunited the people willing to go and left Storm's Eye as fast as possible, at the price of the loss of millennia scientific researches and advancements such as Meridian, the hub of the system-wide vault network they had established to supervise the terraforming then control the climate of the planets the vaults had been constructed in.

 _You are not from this cycle._

Vaan blinked at that, not understanding what the AI was talking about. What was a cycle? They frowned when they felt the faint touch of a tentative mental touch over their mind, Evfray instantly blanketing it. Vaan sent their anchorship thoughts of gratefulness.

 _Your existence poses a new variable to our problem, maybe even a new solution. As you have captured our attention, we will watch you from now. Stand up, I will open a path for you._

Everything went black then.

Vaan groaned as they were flattened to the ground, not quite satisfied with what the Catalyst way of opening a path was. Their body felt like it was on fire for the second time. They opened their eyes on a room, bodies on the ground around them. From the blood and weapons on the floor, it wasn't difficult to deduce there had a shooting. No survivors from what they could see.

Whatever had happened, it was very recent since Vaan couldn't sniff the odor of death and decomposing bodies. What they could distinctly smell though, was gas. They went on their feet as fast as they could, gritting their feet through the pain. They had to get out of there as soon as possible. Gas leak and shooting. The building they were in might have sustained structural damages, probably had. There might be a fire somewhere. There also might not be but Vaan wasn't willing to stick around and be caught in an explosion.

* * *

"First a quarian badly wounded. Then this. What sort of times do we live in?" the doctor was murmuring, mostly to herself as she helped Vaan sit on a bed, worry tainting her voice. "What if I hadn't found you? God knows what would've happened."

Since she wasn't directly talking to them, or didn't require any answer from them, Vaan let their attention wander away from the human female and to their navi. The device was mostly unresponsive, not even error notifications flashing. At least, they told themselves, its translator had functioned well enough so far for the jardaan to be able to communicate orally. Their inborn synesthesia would also help them navigate this brand-new galaxy without as many blunders as they would have done without it.

Still, it didn't stop them from wishing that Soulstars' Spiral's sapients could talk directly to their mind. Vaan didn't think they had had a proper oral conversation in decades if one didn't count the times they talked to themselves aloud while walking through Evfray, making sure that the bots and drones were full functional and taking care of their maintenance. Of course, it didn't help that most people in the Herd had been put in cryo while they were leaving Storm's Eye and entering darkspace.

Thankfully, the Herd allowed the soulstars to communicate between each other thanks to their link to the anchorships as long as they stayed relatively close. It had been a comfort when the maintenance team that helped Vaan in their duty had to rotate every couple of years and although they did speak, it was more often than not telepathic since the anchorships were so large.

Evfray nudged them gently, getting Vaan's attention back to the doctor. "Sorry, you were saying?" They stopped themselves from frowning; being obligated to voice their words aloud still felt weird. Hopefully, they would get used to it soon enough.

She gave them a look but kindly asked them, a second time apparently, to strip out of what was left of their armor. The jardaan followed their order, though not without grimacing at the pain. Meanwhile, they did their best not to stare. They had gleaned informations about the different species populating the galaxy on the extranet, before the Catalyst signal caught their attention, but she was the first living human they had the occasion of examining up close. Their first proper alien encounter now that they thought about it. This was so exciting!

"You were lucky," the woman said she passed a curious orange device surrounding her hand around him. There were informations displayed on it though they didn't know their signification, they guessed it was some sort of scan. Vaan used her distraction to watch her. She looked fairly similar as a jardaan, with the same number of limbs and fingers, although the sexual characteristics like her curved chest were intriguing. As were the lack of soulmarks and her mono-colored teal green eyes.

"Your armor sustained most of the damage from the explosion. You have many contusions and your right flank suffered from a second degree burn. It could've been worse though, seeing what happened to your armor. It's nothing medi-gel can't take care of. You're a lucky young man," she added, taking a step back for their eyes to meet.

In the back of Vaan's mind, Evfray snorted, undoubtedly amused at how mistaken the human was. Vaan might not be the oldest jardaan alive, they were still far older than the doctor, much older than she could ever dream of being from what they had gathered.

The human took a tube of the medi-gel product, put a fair amount in her hand, then applied it on their skin. Vaan looked at the process with curiosity. The gel was cold to the touch but it was refreshing sensation, soothing the burns and soreness. It stuck to their skin, fast hardening until it felt like they were wearing a shell. They moved lightly to test its flexibility and was satisfied to see it seemed to allow for some movements.

"When it falls, if it doesn't look well don't hesitate to apply some more, especially on your side." She patted Vaan gently on the head, then looked at their wrists. "I see that you have no omni-tool." Her aura tasted like carnberries. She was curious then.

They didn't have a clue about what an omni-tool was but with her reaction, they would have to obtain one. "Lost it during the explosion," they eventually answered since it was the perfect excuse. "As well as my other belongings," they added after a small pause.

All in all, the Catalyst had dumped Vaan in a very convenient place, even though they could have done without getting further injured in an explosion. In Vaan's rush to find that signal, they didn't think to take anything but their armor. On the positive side, it meant the distinct different of technology between their species and what the jardaan had seen of the locals so far wouldn't be easily noticed. Especially with his armor being little more than unusable melted scraps now.

"You said your biotics helped you walking away from the explosion site." The doctor gestured Vaan's angdaar, sitting snugly around their throat. Actually, it was the only piece of them not to have been damaged by their adventure so far. They had never been so thankful for the protecting device; a damaged navi was more likely than not to lead to brain-related complications. Vaan was many things, but suicidal certainly wasn't one of them, regardless of Evfray's snide comments.

"May I ask what kind of implant you use? No wait, don't tell me. You're still in your 20s right? A L3 then, or maybe the brand new L5. Either way, that's pretty impressive."

Humans were wonderful if they asked questions only to answer them themselves just after. The jardaan wouldn't even have to search for a cover story, other people would make it up for them. The good doctor didn't even seem to realize they weren't human to begin with. In a corner of their mind, Vaan put the need to research biotic implants. They didn't think they had heard of anything like that before.

 _Evfray, remind me to research what are biotic implants later, I don't think I've ever heard of that._ The anchorship made a noncommittal noise but Vaan had been his soulstar long enough to know he'd do so. He was probably already scouring the galactic extranet for informations.

"I don't think I introduced myself did I? Chloe Michel, humble doctor in this little clinic. What's your name?" the doctor asked.

 _How does Vaan Ishara sound?_ They didn't wait for the ship's answer to tell Dr. Michel, "Vaan Ishara."

 _Are you going to traipse all over the galaxy with that name?_ Evfray sounded very amused.

 _You heard the human, she gave two names and I'm certainly not giving my soulname so my clan should do_ , they retorted.

"Well, Vaan, nice to meet you. Don't thank me for helping you, I'm merely doing my job." She walked away, putting the now empty tubes in a bin. "Just stay here. You said you lost your belongings so I'm gonna see if I can find you some clothes. You can't walk around just in your underwear," she said, departing to another room.

 _Can you see this place, Evfray?_ Vaan asked the ship once Dr. Michel was out of view.

Their gaze lingered around. It was pretty spacious for a little place, separated into two areas by a large low wall. They had entered through the door, on the other zone, where there were a console and some benches, certainly for the patients to wait for their turn. Themselves were in the other part. Beds, separated by thick partition walls, had been aligned against the wall, which superior part was nothing less than a picture window.

From here, they could view the pink leaves of a giant tree, green grass as well as small painted flying ships passing nearby. Vaan grinned. They were so used to the blue hues, occasionally green much less saturated than the one out there, of the anchorships hallways that had seen their birth, the machines milling around barely different. Everything they could see here was so colorful and luminous, _bright_ now that they could observe them in person instead of through vids or faint memories from their ancestors.

Evfray was distinctly sullen when he replied, _Not much. Our neural link isn't what it should be because of the navi. The visual feedback isn't stable_.

 _Don't be disappointed, I can save pictures and sent them once my navi gets its kick back. But anyway, it's my first time ever off-ship,_ our _first time out of darkspace. I have to explore it before going back. I'd rather pass as a local alien then being under the spotlight for being from beyond the darkspace._

There was a small silence, where Vaan could feel the anchorship's distinct fond annoyance at them. _The other soulstars are going to kill you when you get back, you know that?_

 _I'll tell them I was scouting for an appropriate system for us to settle to. It's pleasure and work mixed together._

Evfray snorted but didn't comment, his presence dimming when Dr. Michel was heard again, startling them. "I know this look. You're new here, right?" She chuckled. If she had noticed the way they flinched in surprise, she didn't comment on it. They accepted the clothes, grey shirt, black pants and white socks, she handed them with a grateful nod.

"Pretty much," they answered truthfully. She didn't know how right she was. "I haven't been off-ship for what seems like forever. I can't wait to explore this place."

"You remind me of my first time." She smiled, her expression soft as she continued, "I grew up on Earth, you see, and when I first arrived, I was awed by the Citadel. It's the same for many newcomers actually. Even though being caught up in an explosion isn't," she added, amusement popping on Vaan's tongue, making the jardaan smile at her. "Well, _silver lining_."

They frowned slightly, the translation somehow muddy. Vaan realized then, that it must have been an idiom. They wondered then how people perceived the words proper to the Ruash dialect the Herd spoke. Hopefully, it wouldn't sound too weird to the locals.

"You're mostly fine. Your armor and biotics really did an admirable job." She glanced at the remains of said protection. "It's not much and not quite your size," she told Vaan when they had changed into their new outfit, eyeing them from head to toe. "But better than your previous clothes. I forgot the shoes," she concluded, departing once again.

There was a beeping sound, followed by the entrance door opening.

The newcomers didn't look like patients or taste like people in need of a doctor: no apparent wounds, tired appearance or taste of pain. What Vaan could feel though was the scorch of their aggressivity, making their throat dry and uncomfortable. The jardaan wasn't surprised to find themselves at the end of a heavy pistol.

They forced themselves not to react when someone, a male, grabbed them by the collar of their shirt, putting a gun against their temple. They shuddered, disgusted at the physical contact but succeeded in keeping their biotics in check. Let the aliens underestimate them and believe they were inoffensive, especially since Vaan knew nothing of the situation.

"Where's the doctor?!" Black eyes met him. He didn't let them the time to say anything before his grip went firmer. "If you wanna live, you better answer." He shook them. "Now!"

"Vaan?!" Dr. Michel screamed. Added to the aggressive atmosphere, her bitter worry when she re-entered the room left a bad flavor in Vaan's mouth. "What's hap—" The poor woman's words died on her lips when she saw the scene. The boots she had been carrying fell to the ground with a thump.

The male smirked as he let them go, pushing them out of his way. Vaan stumbled back, hissing when their back hit the glass. "Well, better be straightforward. I hope for your safety you didn't speak." He glanced at Vaan, gun still pointed at them. "To anyone." Vaan really didn't appreciate the human's tone. He clearly needed to be taught some manners.

"Wait! You can't, he's just a patient! I've told nothing to anyone!"

A glance around the room told them there were ten hostiles flanking the doctor and them. Since Vaan was pretty certain they were the only biotic present, the jardaan should be able to take all of them on, especially with the element of surprise on their side. That would however be at the expanse of Dr. Michel's safety, which they couldn't let be injured when they were in her debt.

"Smart move, Doc. Keep being smart if Garrus comes sticking his mandibles were he shouldn't."

They were wondering if they could slam all the beds into the attackers at the same time to distract them when they saw the sliding door open, noise muffled by the leader talking loudly, monopolizing the room's attention.

Vaan had been facing the entrance, which was the only reason why they saw a crouching alien making their way inside. That one was also humanoid, but much less jardaan-like than humans and Vaan couldn't help but stare. _Male turian, one of the prominent Soulstars' Spiral spacefaring species_ , Vaan remembered the moment they noticed the slightly moving mandibles. When the other caught them looking, he gestured to them with a three-fingered hand.

Behind him were three humans, two males and one female, all armored and armed. The black-eyed man turned to them, a gasp of surprise escaping his lips but already reaching for Dr. Michel to put an arm around her neck and the nose of his gun against her temple.

One of his companions tried to do the same to them. Vaan was faster though. With an ease born from centuries of practice, they grabbed her forearm hard with their biotics, effortlessly lifted her body and slammed her into one of her buddies. The two of two staggered as silver energy hit them. Bullets finished them before they could regain their balance and their bodies fell to the floor.

Bending down, the jardaan searched for Dr. Michel, hoping she hadn't been hit in the ongoing shooting. Her aggressor had already gone down and she was on her knees, folded to protect her belly while her hands were over her head. Since she was alone, the turian and his allies weren't attacking them while the others were otherwise distracted, Vaan crawled in front of her in case she needed protection.

After what, they turned their focus back to the battlefield. All the combatants had taken cover. Three men had gone down, blood already pooling under them. Another one was slammed into a wall, neck shattering at the impact. With the two they had helped killed in the beginning, plus the leader and a woman who had gone down while Vaan wasn't looking, there were only two of the original ten hostiles left.

One of them shot at him, while the other screamed when he was hit in the guts. The bullet bounced harmlessly against a protective barrier, which Vaan then pushed at the human, shattering it when it touch her. She fell unconscious on the ground.

Finally, Vaan rose to their feet and held a hand to the clinician to help her do the same. She accepted it, looking a bit shaken but not uninjured. What a relief. Vaan themselves were fine, all things considered, if they ignored the deep ache of such a physical and biotic workout after their earlier experiences.

"Are you okay?" The voice had a faint bitter aftertaste of concern. Its owner was tall and brawny, black hair perfectly brushed back. His biotics were making Vaan's senses prickle to the point they put a finger between their angdaar and the back of their neck to scratch the skin under it. No doubt there, the human was strong.

"No harm done," Vaan replied with a bright smile when their eyes met. When they caught the human watching the medi-gel that wasn't covered by their clothes, they added, "No worry, I had these before. These guys." Vaan gestured at the bodies on the ground. "Didn't touch me," Vaan finished.

Really, they would have been ashamed if these small dudes had been able to injure them; they weren't more dangerous than the creepers they used to hunt for fun when they were a child.

"Thanks for the help though. It made things much easier. Who are you, guys?"

"Alliance Navy, Staff Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko," the human answered. He showed them the armored woman, black hair gathered in a bun. "This is Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams." She spared him a glance and a nod before turning her attention back to the third human, whom she had been listening to. Staff Lieutenant Alenko pointed at him. "And this is Commander Shepard."

Shepard was standing in front of the turian, scolding the scaly grey alien for his recklessness. His hair was just a shade darker than Vaan's copper red, thick short strands brushing the top of his large brow. Like any non-jardaan species so far, his eyes were mono-colored although the vividest green they had ever seen in an alien.

Whether or not he was attractive according to human standards, Vaan didn't know but he felt like a soulstar. Charisma was oozing from him, fascinating and magnificent, tasting like yaskaan, the centuries-old Mithravan liquor they had found in one of Evfray's many storage areas, extremely strong and intoxicating, but sweet and easily drinkable.

* * *

 **CODEX ENTRIES**

 **Jardaan**  
The jardaan is an advanced organic-synthetic spacefaring species. Their brain naturally produces nanites that circulate in their body through their nano system. Similarly to the asari, jardaan are long-lived and natural biotics.  
The jardaan is a telepathic species, whose main method of communication between each others is non-verbal, thoughts and emotions that they share directly to each others' minds. Still in other to communicate with other species, they developed a language, which is called Ruash.

 **Jardaan culture | Anchorships & Soulstars**  
Anchorships, _iroshdaar_ , are the jardaan's main spacefaring vessels. They are sentient living ships that are able to survive in darkspace. Each anchorship has a single soulstar, atronash, a jardaan whom they are telepathically linked to. A link that isn't influenced by distance.  
A fleet of anchorships is called a herd.

 **Jardaan history | Exodus**  
During a distant past cycle, the jardaan left the Milky Way for the Andromeda Galaxy, where they established a network of terraforming and climate monitoring vaults all through the the Heleus Cluster, monitored by an artificial planet hub they created and named Meridian.  
After a civil war broke out amongst the jardaan, caught wind of the dark energy cloud one of the waring factions was intending to release through the system before it actually happened, some of the jardaan decided to flee, united a herd of similar minded jardaan, back to the Milky Way.

 **Jardaan technology | Navi & Angdaar**  
Short for navigator, the navi is a small puce inserted into a head-jack situated at the base of the neck, a port directly connected to the jardaan's nano and nervous systems that allows them to use their own brain as a computer. It can store data and allow its owner to manipulate said data, for example taking picture with a blink. It also serves as a translator that not only permits to understand, but also to be understood although it's not flawless and will have difficulties translating idioms. It also allows long distance communication.  
As the navi is directly tied to both the nervous and nano systems, any damage done to it is very likely to lead to irreversible brain damage.  
In order to protect their navi, jardaan wear around their neck what they call a palladium micro alloy mixed with nanomachine choker called an angdaar.

 **RUASH LEXICAL**

 _Angdaar_ | lit. "anchored rock foundation" | Device to protect one's navi and head-jack  
 _Ashver_ | Soulname  
 _Atronash_ | Soulstar  
 _Atronasha-tavestiir_ | Soulstars' Spiral | Milky Way galaxy  
 _Iroshdaar_ | lit. "breathing home shell" | Anchorship  
 _Ushior-an_ | Resonance cluster | Heleus Cluster  
 _Vasora-rofna_ | Storm's Eye | Andromeda galaxy


	2. II - Seeking Freedom

**II  
**

* * *

 **Seeking Freedom  
**

* * *

"I'm so sorry you were dragged into this mess, Vaan." Dr. Michel sighed. "You've already been caught in an explosion today and now, this. As a doctor, I should have protected you, not the other way round."

"You shouldn't be, Doc. As a doctor, your job is to heal people, not necessarily protect them." They smiled at her, going for reassuring. The doctor's expression didn't relax, her guilt stinging. "Look, it's not like I'm defenseless," Vaan added softly, putting their new boots on. They wondered why the fabric wasn't adapting to their feet like it usually did, wiggling their toes to activate the nanites. "I know how to fight so there was no reason for me to stand aside and let you get injured on my watch."

Then, the jardaan realized they were being an idiot. Just like the clothes, their shoes didn't have any nanites in them. Pity. Nothing dramatic, Vaan told themselves. The boots might not be perfect but still their size and comfortable enough.

" _No shells broken over it_ ," Vaan eventually said, trying to soothe her. Especially not when she was the one who had broken shells for them to begin with. From the earthly taste of confusion they could sense in the human, they realized their navi hadn't been able to translate that. "I mean, don't worry about that. It's no big deal." He tried again, relieved when, this time, the woman understood. "Consider it as a payment for everything you've done for me, especially since I don't have any money."

 _You make a terrible human_ , Evfray whispered in the back of their mind, sounding far too smug. _I'll be impressed if your cover lasts a week._ Vaan didn't grace him with an answer.

"Seriously, Dr. Michel, you've already helped me a lot. Bringing me here, treating me, giving me clothes. You even let me nap here. If anything, I'm the one with _br_ —" they stopped themselves before the expression slipped out again. "Who is in your debt," Vaan finished with a smile they hoped would work this time.

"I see." She didn't look to agree with them but didn't protest. Vaan counted that as a victory. "Well then, Vaan, I'll let you go. Don't forget to apply more medi-gel on your burns once this layer peels off. Enjoy your time on the Citadel and don't hesitate to visit or send a message." She patted their shoulder when they got to their feet.

They stretched, smiling when their body only was sore rather than painful. The hours spent sleeping on one of the clinic beds, after Shepard and his squad had left, had done wonders.

"I'd tell you not to get caught in another explosion or more shootings, but Commander Shepard asked me to send him a message when you'd wake up. He wants to talk to you and something tells me you're going to end up in more troubles. Try to be careful please."

"Don't worry, I can take care of myself."

"I'm sure you can. It won't stop me from worrying," she said but she was more amused than concerned. After a small silence, she spoke again, "Actually. Mail me once you get a new omni-tool. That'd put my mind at ease."

"Of course," they replied with a smile. "I won't forget what you've done for me. Thanks for everything, Dr. Michel." They left after in these words because there wasn't any point in staying in the clinic any longer.

As soon as the door slid close behind them, Vaan knew they had a problem. They had been raised on the oldest anchorship of the herd, sailing through darkspace; amongst beeping robots in a sleeping metropolis, its endless streets and rooms mostly empty as the most of the jardaan were in cryo.

Meaning that they had never experienced the mental chatter of a place full of life. Even with Evfray, always so thoughtful, smoothing the sharpest edges of a headache that was growing by the instant, the press of feelings and words to their senses hurt because of the amount of people present. It was all too strong and chaotic, with far too many tastes.

The jardaan took a couple of steps on the side, putting a hand against the wall to support themselves. They hadn't expected the sheer intensity of the noise in a properly awakened city. Vaan hadn't even thought of it, if they were being truthful, mostly because they hadn't been thinking at all when they had gone after the Catalyst.

"You don't look so good." They recognized Shepard's voice.

Vaan blinked, pushing their hair on the side to watch the human from the corner of their eyes. He was alone this time, out of his armor, wearing dark blue drill pants with large pockets on the sides and a black opened hoodie thrown over a gray shirt. More casual, though they didn't miss the gun clipped to the human's belt.

"It's my first time here. I've never been in such a crowded place and my brain doesn't really appreciate all the…" They made a vague gesture towards the people milling around.

"Oh, I see. Let's get you somewhere calmer."

"Lead the way."

As they walked, Vaan focused on the red strap running along the right sleeve of the commander's hoodie, put over a white band that contrasted with the dark fabric it had been sewed onto. It made it easy to track the human as they walked to wherever he wanted them to go.

 _I wish my navi weren't malfunctioning_ , they told Evfray, the two of them worked on tuning the whole world around down. With their navi, the whole process wouldn't have been such a drag, both faster and smoother as it would only be a matter of _thinking_ to dim his senses while they slowly got attuned to their environment.

 _You have only yourself to blame there, Vaan_ , the anchorship retorted, managing to be both mocking and empathetic at the same time. Vaan felt like a child again even with the centuries under his shell. Although, compared to Evfray, they were effectively one.

 _I don't appreciate your sass, old man_.

 _You say to the one person helping you process things_ , Evfray laughed _. Now shut up and listen to the human, he's been trying to get your attention._

Vaan flinched when they found that Shepard had put a hand on their shoulder while they weren't looking. He was staring at them with a frown. Vaan stuck their tongue against the roof of their mouth, trying to chase the bitter worry away. At the very least, the jardaan told themselves, they hadn't embarrassed themselves further by running into him in their distraction.

"Will this place _do the trick_?" Shepard asked when their eyes met. Vaan stopped themselves from swearing aloud because really, idioms sucked, even though it wasn't difficult to guess what the human meant.

The jardaan stepped back to look around. Shepard had brought them into what most likely was an unused storage area, isolated by high piles of gray and black crates. The floor would be bare if not for the white boxes here and there. The cool, soothing tasteless flavor they could savor indicated that nobody else was around confirming their theory.

"The place's fine, Shepard," the jardaan answered with a tiny smile to reassure the other. They lifted themselves on one of the boxes then sat cross-legged. "Dr. Michel told me you wanted to speak."

"First of all, I wanted to thank you for your help earlier, it was welcomed." Shepard moved to stand against a container facing Vaan, a strange expression on his face as he watched them attentively.

"I don't like the idea of standing around when I'm capable of acting." They never had, even aboard Evfray where they hadn't been required to do anything since there wasn't many things for a soulstar to do in dark space. Now that they were out, Vaan was certainly not about to start being some passive idiot when there was a whole galaxy waiting to be explored.

 _That and everyone will be even more pissed at you if your rashness brought us nothing._

 _That too_ , Vaan agreed with a chuckle. "Plus," they told Shepard. "The good doctor has been nothing but kind with me when I was just a stranger, I couldn't let her be injured on my watch. That's the least I could do for her." Their words gave Shepard's emotions a tinge of satisfaction, sweet and soft on their tongue. Vaan pressed the tip of their tongue against the back of their teeth, savoring the sensation.

"So I've heard," the human answered. "She found you near the HKSW building that exploded two levels down this morning."

"I was passing by when it exploded. I lost pretty much everything but my life there. I was lucky she was around." Vaan drummed their fingers against their ankles, trying not to think about the Catalyst's cryptic words. They watched Shepard crossed his arms over his chest, shifting his weight a little bit. They might not be an expert at reading aliens but they weren't born yesterday; the human looked like he had _more_ he wanted to say. "But, I don't think you wanted to talk to me about how I ended up at the clinic, don't you? What is it really about?"

"You're sharp." Shepard chuckled. "As you say, that's not only what I'm here for." He wet his lips then, eyes boring into Vaan's. "You're Vaan Ishara, male biotic in his 20s. I've checked the Alliance archives and that person doesn't exist. Of course, it's only a cursory search and I could have missed you but, to be honest, I didn't think I'd found you there."

"That's what Dr. Michel guessed. I never said that was true," they replied wryly.

"You never said it wasn't true either." Vaan licked their lips when they tasted Shepard's popping amusement. "You're not human," he added with a quiet assurance. His body language didn't betray tension of any kind so the jardaan forced themselves to stay relaxed.

 _Oh-oh, busted!_ Evfray couldn't stop laughing. _By the ancestors, Vaan, you haven't even lasted a day_.

Vaan retaliated with a mental push that only made the anchorship more laugh harder. _I hate you_ , they told him. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"That's exactly what an alien would say," Shepard chortled.

" _Skkut_ ," Vaan let out, foregoing any pretense at passing human. They obviously were too inexperienced and ignorant about Shepard's species to emulate a human correctly. "Careful how you speak, human." Their lips quirked. "We're all aliens to other species. Mine is called the jardaan. Vaan, however, _is_ my real name." Not their soulname but their name nonetheless. "Ishara is the name of my clan. The equivalent would be your family name, I think."

"Nice to know." Shepard rubbed the back of his neck. "Dr. Michel mentioned you had an armor when she found you, so I'm not surprised you know how to fight. Since you didn't go for the guns, I think I can say that your specialties lie in biotic and close combat?" It was formulated like a question but didn't sound like one. It probably wasn't one because Shepard continued, "I suppose you know how to shoot too?"

"I have some experiences with pistols." They had a very minimal experience with pistols to be precise. Their combat education had mostly been focused on melee weapons like gauntlets and using drones that complemented their biotics well.

The jardaan in general tended to shy away from gunnery to concentrate on robotic and melee weapons. Guns weren't exactly necessary when they had biotics or drones to cover mid to long range combat. Aboard Evfray, as his soulstar, Vaan themselves had the whole anchorship to play with, an army of robots at their fingertips.

Still, Vaan had been showed how to shoot a pistol, an old angaran pistol, without injuring themselves just in case they would need it whenever they eventually went off ship. Vaan themselves had always had a distinct lack of interest in guns when they could play with bots.

"I'm no sharpshooter but at least, I won't shoot myself in the foot if I have to use one," they added. "But as you noted, I specialize in biotics and close combat."

Shepard nodded pensively. "If you had to fight from a distance, how would you proceed?"

"Biotics and drones, al— You seemed awfully interested in my combat skills." Vaan narrowed their eyes at the human. "Sounds like you're trying to recruit me. Is that why you wanted to speak with me?"

Shepard put his hands up, grinning. "Guilty as charged. I have a situation on my hands. I'm building a team to take care of it and I want you in."

The jardaan blinked. They slowly unfolded their legs, pushing themselves off the crate they had been sitting on, eyes not leaving Shepard's. "You're quite eager to recruit a random alien, whose species you're not even familiar with. You don't know me. I could just be the recon force of an alien invader," Vaan replied softly.

The human only raised an eyebrow at them. "Are you though? I've got a record for recruiting aliens apparently. Got a turian, a quarian, a krogan so far. All of whom I've met today, just like you. One more, one less, what's the difference at this point? Plus, if you're an 'alien invader'." He raised his hands up, index fingers twitching as he said the last words. "I'd better keep an eye on you."

There wasn't much Vaan could answer to that so, ignoring Evfray unhelpful snickering, they said, "Quarian? Is that the quarian the thugs came looking for at Dr. Michel's clinic? You find them then?"

"Why do you ask?"

"If you're asking me that, then you definitely found them." Vaan smirked at the other's surprise. "Hey, now, you're not the only one paying attention. You were the one saying I was sharp, weren't you?" Their expression softened. "I just want to know if they are they okay."

"Don't worry, she's safe and fine."

"Good." They scratched the back of their neck. They might not know the quarian but being hunted by people like those in the clinic didn't sound very funny.

Shepard grinned. "See, Vaan, that's how I know you're the covert agent of an invading force. You're far too earnest for that. You can't even hide you're an alien if one's paying attention, I doubt you'd be able to be pretend caring when you're not."

Vaan scowled both at the human and the anchorship, who was totally on the first's side. Instead, they decided to go back to the primary subject, the reason why Shepard wanted a team in the first place. "So, now that you've established I'm the epitome of discretion, what's the use of that team you're building?"

"Spectre mission… Wait, you might not know what's a Spectre. Let's just say a job. I can't give you the details yet. What I can definitely say is that it will involve a lot of traveling and probably lots of action too. The dangerous kind. I need people who can hold themselves in combat, can think and _act_ under pressure. From what I've seen, you _fit the bill._ The turian from the clinic is on the team. I don't think you've met the krogan though. Maybe you did, the world has been quite small today."

"Unlikely," Vaan answered. Well, they had seen one krogan corpse on the way out of the HKSW building but had interacted with none.

"If you need more convincing," Shepard continued. "I can easily tell that you lack everything to get by around here. As a member from an unregistered species, you don't even have a proper identity. You don't have money or living arrangements either. I'm in a position to help with all of these. Especially getting people off your back when they'll eventually realize you're something else."

"You're an important person here." Because really, there were no other way the human could arrange all of that by himself if he wasn't one of the higher-ups.

"First human Spectre. We operate with the authority of the Council and generally are above the law."

At least, Vaan had read enough about the Soulstars' Spiral to have a general idea of the Council's position and function in the galaxy. They didn't have any point of reference for Spectres but if they were 'above the law', then the jardaan had no reason to doubt Shepard's confidence in his ability to help them.

"My decision was already taken once you talked about traveling. The talk was still nice though."

Danger didn't matter, Vaan had to admit. After spending their whole life stuck on Evfray, even though he was wonderful, getting more action than combat training and simulations with the bots sounded wonderful. Especially if it meant exploring. All in all, Shepard was basically given Vaan everything they had ever wanted once arriving to the Soulstars' Spiral. They would be stupid not to seize the opportunity.

"Welcome abroad then, Vaan." Shepard straightened, face lightened with a smile as he approached. He only stopped when they were a couple of feet apart, extending a hand. "Shake it, it's how we seal deals," he added when Vaan looked at him a little bit confused of the protocol to follow.

"Well then, Shepard, glad to be on the team. _Taerve Uni_." Vaan used the Jardaan expression on purpose.

 _May the ancestors guide us through the stars_ , Evfray added when Shepard and they shook hands.

* * *

Vaan looked away from the report after telling Evfray to search his memories if he had ever seen or heard of the husks. They slowly massaged their temples, the skycar's autopilot high-pitched voice particularly annoying. On the bright side, their migraine was fainter, mostly replaced by a growing horror when they had poured over the brief Shepard had given them of his mission on the colony Eden Prime and his activities so far.

"I've never seen these before," Vaan eventually said once the anchorship confirmed he couldn't find any recording of the creatures in his memories. His curiosity had been picked by the large ship with an organic design though. Vaan was far more interested in the geths and their artificial intelligence. No surprise there.

Tapping one of their cheeks with an index, the jardaan eventually looked away from the datapad the human had given them, containing image and video support to illustrate the Spectre's report of the situation.

"That must be the most barbaric way to make hybrids I've ever seen." Vaan didn't try to hide their scowl.

"Hybrids?" Shepard looked away from the holo-screens around his right forearm, brows furrowed. Confusion, Vaan realized when he felt the crisp earthly taste on their tongue.

"Synthanic? It's to describe beings that are both organic and synthetic. Humans are organic, geths synthetic," they clarified for him. The jardaan were synthanic but Vaan didn't think Shepard needed it spelled out for him. "You don't have synthanic species in the Milky Way?"

"Not that we know of. If there are, they're unknown to the Council. So, in the case of husks, they're humans transformed into synthanic beings." He grimaced as he said the last word. "Would there be a way to reverse the process?"

Before they could think, the entirety of _The Empty Shell_ poured out of Vaan's lips. They were mortified. If their navi was having problems translating idioms, it must had made a mess out of the poem.

Shepard whistled but didn't talk until moments had passed. "I don't think I've experienced that massive of a translation glitch in a very long time. That wasn't your normal speak, wasn't it? It almost sounded like poetry."

"Sorry for that. Yes, it's poetry, but also more." Vaan paused, searching for a way to explain the significance of the poem. Thankfully, Shepard was understanding and let them the time to gather their thoughts. "Or rather, it's physical laws written in a poetic form, which is why it's a staple of jardaan education. It happens to answer your question pretty well. The crux of the poem is that although you can make synthanic beings out of organic and synthetic ones, the contrary doesn't hold true. You can't separate a synthanic being from either their organic or synthetic parts without killing them. Once you go synthanic, you can't just go back."

 _Instead, you bio-engineered brand new species_. Vaan couldn't help thinking of the angara they had left behind, the machines and centuries of work they hoped hadn't been wiped out.

 _The Empty Shell_ had transcended the ages, composed around the time the jardaan had upgraded themselves into synthanic life-forms, long before they had left the Soulstars' Spiral for Storm's Eye, for the reason that it had held true. Vaan couldn't stop themselves from brushing their fingers over the spot where their head-jack laid under the protection of the angdaar.

"It might be impossible to transform their body back to what it was," Vaan continued. "But I can't determine the practicalities of their conversion as far as their behavior is concerned. At best, it's a form of brain control that _might_ be reversible. At worst, the husks' mind are erased then rewritten when they are being converted."

Vaan wouldn't be able to know unless they tried to establish a mental connection with one of those though. They looked back at the pictures, wincing. That sounded like a terrible idea. Evfray agreed to the thought.

By reflex, Vaan reached out for Shepard's mind with thoughts of sympathy and understanding, showing the human they were willing to share the sorrow he was currently feeling, alleviate his burden. He didn't react though. There wasn't even an indication that he had sensed the mental touch to begin with.

"I'm sorry I couldn't help you more, Shepard." Vaan eventually said, resigning themselves to the fact that, until they found a way to determine if humans really were incapable of the same kind of telepathic communication that jardaan could use, they would have to use words all the time.

"Don't be. I was expecting that. I had to ask nonetheless," Shepard replied, passing a hand over his face. "I hope we won't run into them again, but I've got the feeling it's just the beginning. And with my luck." His smile was wry. "I'm pretty sure we'll have to deal with them again. For now though, I'd rather concentrate on our current most pressing task, which happens to be one we can actually take care of. You that is."

The positive change in the human's emotions made Vaan perk up.

* * *

The skycar they had taken from the lower wards came to a stop. Shepard grinned as he exited the vehicle. Vaan followed him with relief to finally exit the stuffy, small space behind. This part of the Citadel had lights replicated a natural daylight, the people milling around looking far more relaxed and generally less armed.

Fortunately, Vaan's migraine had receded into a much more manageable mild headache as they made their way to the Galactic Bank of Mar, listened to Shepard make a cursory explanation of their galactic monetary system. If a person's bank was registered to an organization called the Galactic Bank Association, then their bank account was considered to be an identity document valid on a galactic level. This was how people from species that didn't keep any form of identity documents, or whose who weren't from Citadel species were able to work and live off their home world.

"Also, in your case. It lets us forego all the red tape and ceremony that comes with registering a new species to the Citadel. That's not something we need right now," Shepard added as they passed through the entrance doors to the Galactic Bank of Mar.

Vaan was happy to let the human take charge of the proceedings, much more interested in the aliens around and the buildings, color much lighter and space narrower than what they were used to. Jardaan in general favored the use of massive spaces, dark color and geometrical forms patterned with sleek light lines. It was different, but not bad.

They didn't miss the green creatures around the edges though, scurrying around on three thin legs tapping on that looked like a terminal. Everyone else was ignoring them and Vaan was reminded of the maintenance bots, albeit in an organic body rather than machines.

As it happened, they were indeed charged with maintenance, Shepard informed them when they eventually ask him after they were finished with the bank, walking to one, orange holo-screens popping around and over his right arm.

"It didn't even cross my mind earlier," Shepard said when he noticed Vaan looking. "Do you have omni-tools where you come from? I mean, you'd get one anyway but it's better to know beforehand what they do."

The explanation Shepard provided as they made their way to a shopping area, was lengthy, much more detailed than the monetary one and much more passionate. If not for the crunchy taste of passion, even without being an alien behavior specialist, Vaan would have to be blind not to see that the human loved the device, he was grinning and more expressive using more hand gestures when talking, as well as deaf considering he called his "his life companion".

"My omni-tool is a Savant. It's an expensive brand, hard to get used to if you don't have any knowledge of programming but it's highly customizable and the absolute best for tech-oriented people like I." Shepard rubbed the back of his neck. "You told me earlier you used combat drones and you're a close range kind of guy, that right?"

* * *

The box was simple in its design, which Vaan found charming. It was made of silver steel, light but solid, Nexus engraved on the top in capital letters with the model, 'basic series — model III', in lower case just under. The manufacturer's name, Armali Council, stood on the sides of the box.

With a gleeful curiosity, the jardaan opened the container to see what these species' equivalent to the navi looked like. There was a datapad, probably a manual, which they put aside to read later, far more interested in what laid beneath.

The device was a rectangle, small enough to fit on a phalanx. It was made in a hard material, cool to the touch. Something metallic, they thought opening a pop-up in the corner of their vision to zoom onto the perfectly smooth surface.

They glanced at Shepard, whose attention was on his own omni-tool. After the shopping was done, Vaan's new omni-tool and armor as well as everyday necessities, they had gone to the human's ship, a sleek little ship that looked to be fully synthetic, much to Evfray's disappointment.

Shepard assigned them a locker in the garage where they had dropped the armor before he had brought them to the deck just above, which was where most of the living quarters were: a cantina, bathrooms and a room with twelve bunk beds shared between the crew and lockers on the wall, one of which Vaan could drop their personal possessions in.

Nobody had a bed assigned to them though, the commander had explained, because in a ship that size it would be pointless. With the crew and its shifts, there should always be free beds that Vaan could use when they needed to sleep. They just had to make sure to vacate the bed once they were finished.

After what, they had gone up to the second deck, where the captain quarters, medbay, sleeping pods and mess hall were located, the last of which they had seated in. Everyone had been allowed some shore leave until the evening, Shepard had told Vaan when they had asked if it was normal that it was empty.

 _Well then, what are you waiting to activate your new toy._ Evfray's voice brought Vaan back to the present. They mentally shove him but took the datapad they had put aside earlier to read the instructions.

The omni-tool had to be placed on the inner wrist of their favored hand, left that was. They just had to press their thumb on it and it would automatically activate after a few moments. As promised, an orange light ran on its length three times, probably a scan, followed by a beeping sound. Vaan watched with awe the omni-tool expend around their wrist in a skin-tight bracelet.

A screen popped up, asking for an identification of some sort or to skip the process.

"Put your bank account serial number," Shepard said from his seat. "It'll link your omni-tool to your bank account and let you skip all the id set-up steps."

A keyboard appeared when they pressed the input area. Vaan wished their navi would be connected to the device and spare them from having to manually type anything. Still the process was swift and they soon had access to the device's interface.

 _Lazy_ , Evfray commented. _But not a bad idea, once your navi stops bugging. In any way, the tech doesn't sound half bad._

"Vaan," Shepard said at some point while said person was perusing the omni-tool's functions. He was raising to his feet, omni-tool deactivated. "Sorry as I am to interrupt your fun, something came up. We need to gear-up and get going."

"Sure thing."

After Vaan retrieved their omni-tool box, the both of them went down to the garage, where Shepard left the jardaan to speak to the turian standing near the buggy while Vaan made straight to their locker to put the Nexus box in and retrieve the much larger one containing his armor.

They fast stripped to their underwear. There was the familiar tickling sensation of nano-machines adjusting the black under-suit to fit their body when they put it on, the material tight but as comfortable as a second skin.

The armor itself was from the Sirta Foundation manufacturer, the very one producing the medi-gel covering part of their body. The light version of the phoenix model, Shepard had informed them. Not the most protective type of armor, but it would allow them maneuvabrility along with strong shields and an automatic distribution of medi-gel if needed.

They hadn't found gauntlets similar to the ones Vaan was used to, but Shepard had assured them that omni-tools could be programmed into melee use so the jardaan hadn't insisted. They would make do with what they had for now, Shepard had been already kind enough to equip them. They could always try to build some for themselves later, when they would be better acquaintanced with this galaxy's tech.

Once they were done putting the armor on, they stretched and did a few katas. The armor was flexible enough for the movement to be smooth. It wasn't as perfect as their Maveon but said armor was now a pile of junk. It wasn't like they could make a fast travel back to Evfray to get a new one. If anything, they had to trust Shepard.

When they activated their omni-tool, it automatically detected the armor and began synchronizing with it. Moments later, it displayed various informations like his shields and armor stats. The medical-related displays they hide: even though humans and asari seemed to have a biology similar to jardaan's on a superficial level, their navi was already monitoring their health at all time. And contrarily to the omni-tool and their armor, it was directly implanted in them. There wouldn't be anything more accurate.

Now that was done, Vaan looked around. Shepard had moved on to chat with the biotic human, Kaidan, as they both were putting their own gear on, while Garrus came to them once the alien caught them looking.

"I see Shepard recruited you too," he said. "We didn't exactly have time for introductions at the clinic. I'm Garrus Vakarian, former detective at C-Sec."

"Vaan Ishara. Nice to meet you, Garrus." Vaan was relieved the turian didn't offer a handshake.

* * *

 **CODEX ENTRIES**

 **UPDATE | Jardaan**  
Jardaan's main interest as a species lie in building. In Andromeda, their crowning achievements are their bio-engineering of the angara species as well as their building of Meridian, an artificial planet that controls a complex interplanetary network of vaults, designed to oversee the terraformation and climate of planets.

 **Jardaan culture | Broken shells**

In jardaan culture, where people more than often know the emotions that accompany words and actions, true selfless acts are very prized. When a person does one of these true selfless acts helping someone else, then it's said that "they have broken shells for that person". By jardaan standards, the person who has been helped is indebted to the helper and has a implicit expectation and obligation to repay that debt at some point.

When a jardaan who helped anyone in a way that would have resulted the later to have broken shells over it (for exemple, saving their life) says "No broken shells over it" or any variations, it means not to sweat it and basically free them from the moral obligation to have to compensate the act.

By jardaan standards, Vaan _had_ to protect Chakwas after she helped them, regardless of whether they'd done it or not if they weren't indebted to her. They actually refers to it during last chapter, "the jardaan should be able to take all of them on [...] That would however be at the expanse of Dr. Michel's safety, which they couldn't let be injured when they were in her debt".

While it is taboo not to repay broken shells, it is also just as taboo for a person who has broken shells for someone to actually demand something back from them. It's a mutual understanding: both know there's a debt (as do the witnesses) and it will be repaid at some point, even if it takes decades, which isn't a problem as jardaan have a very long lifespan. Vaan was lucky to be able to repay their debt to Chakwas as fast as they did.

 **Jardaan culture | The Empty Shell**  
 _The Empty Shell_ , _Draugdaar_ , is a short poem jardaan children during their formative schooling that describes physical laws, amongst which, "Organics can be upgraded into synthanics", "Synthetics can be upgraded into organics", "Synthanics can't be separated from either their organic or synthetic parts without dying".

 **Jardaan culture | Names**  
At birth, jardaan children receive two names.  
The most important one for a jardaan is their soulname, ashver. It's a name they only reveal to the people they unconditionally trust and people won't call a jardaan by their soulname unless they are sure the people around are in the secret too.  
The other one is the one their given name, which they usually go by.  
Clan-based, the jardaan instead of having family names use the name of their clan along with their given name.

 **Jardaan technology | Navi & Angdaar**  
Short for navigator, the navi is a small puce inserted into a head-jack situated at the base of the neck, a port directly connected to the jardaan's nano and nervous systems that allows them to use their own brain as a computer. It can store data and allow its owner to manipulate said data, for example taking picture with a blink. It also serves as a translator that not only permits to understand, but also to be understood although it's not flawless and will have difficulties translating idioms. It also allows long distance communication.  
As the navi is directly tied to both the nervous and nano systems, any damage done to it is very likely to lead to irreversible brain damage.  
In order to protect their navi, jardaan wear around their neck what they call a palladium micro alloy mixed with nanomachine choker called an angdaar.

 **RUASH LEXICON** _  
Skkut* |_ A general expletive similar to "fuck" and "shit" _  
Taerve Uni* |_ Forward TogetherIdiom that means 'strength through unity'. It's a very common saying amongst jardaan. They use it when introduced to co-workers, like "I'm looking forward to work with you and will do my best" _._ It's also used as a rallying cry on the battlefield. People also use it to give themselves courage.

* * *

 **A/N**

Words* means that I'm using a canon Shelesh (the language the Angara speak) word/expression. The Angara were created by the jardaan and in the fic, the Angara first spoke Ruash. From a linguistic point of view, it's pretty normal that some vocabulary stays the same, despite the language evolves. That being said, for _Taerve Uni_ , I extrapolated the meaning, canon just says it means "forward together".

Also, I will clarify something about the languages in-text because this won't be the last time Vaan and cie have translator mishap. In the lexicon, I have the Ruash word, its translation and the literal meaning if it differs from its translation (and sometimes notes).

You're far more used to see the translation (ex: anchorship and not _iroshdaar_ ) than the Ruash word because it's be repetitive when Vaan already thinks in Ruash (and for clarify both for you as readers and myself). In dialogue though, the characters who don't know what a word/idiom is/means, they don't hear the English translation but directly Ruash.

For exemple, when Vaan told the Catalyst "the Citadel is your anchorship", the Catalyst heard "The Citadel is your _iroshdaar_ ". Likewise, Shepard heard the full Ruash version of _The Empty Shell_.

Concepts that don't have English equivalent for reasons, like I couldn't find an English term I found fitting (ex: the angdaar, the choker protecting the navi), I will just use the Ruash word. I will limit the loanwords as much as possible.


End file.
